LEDs are semiconductor devices that produce light when a voltage and current is supplied to them. LEDs are intrinsically DC devices that only pass current in one polarity. Historically LEDs have been driven by constant current or constant voltage DC. More recently, new inventions have demonstrated that LEDs may also be driven direct with low voltage AC or high voltage AC, and with low voltage and high voltage rectified AC.
The increasing adoption and advancement of LED technology has resulted in the development of new LED lighting devices and LED lamps which may replace legacy lamps or light bulbs. However, the known LED lamps use one or more LEDs with one fixed optic over each LED, a single optic over multiple LEDs, or a single LED with a single optic over the LED. These LED lamps do not provide a means of selecting more than one beam angle of light distribution from the LED lamps. Depending on location and use of an LED lamp, multiple beam angles may be needed depending on the surface, products or areas an end user desires to light by the lamp.
Furthermore, having to switch lamps to achieve a different beam angle regardless of the operational state of the lamp and lighting device within is inefficient and wasteful. LED lamps are typically more costly than legacy light bulbs or lamps and being unable to realize the full life of the lamp simple because a different desired beam angle is sought raises consumer costs and wastes operable LED lamps.
Rather than have to remove and replace an LED lamp having a different beam angle each time a new beam angle is desired or required, it would be advantageous to design an LED lamp having the capability to emit light in multiple beam angles.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other issues.